This week on What the Smut Are You Talking About Podcast, we are joined by New York Times bestselling romance author, Sara Cate for an author interview full of romance books, writing chaos, messy men, kink clubs, and unhinged thoughts.

Sara is known for her kink-positive, queer-friendly romance books with emotional plots, toe-curling heat, and book boyfriends who are absolute walking chaos. We talk all about her writing process, what it’s like to plot a book only for the characters to go completely off the rails, and why the messiest fictional men are sometimes the most fun to write.

Whether you’re a longtime Sara Cate reader, obsessed with the Salacious Players Club, loving the Salacious Legacy series, or just looking for your next spicy romance book recommendation, this episode is for you.

Grab your beverage of choice, settle in, and come hang out and see What the Smut we are Talking About this week. 

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This week on What the Smut Are You Talking About, we're welcoming back romance author Victoria Wilder for a chaotic, bookish catch-up that is packed with romance books, writing talk, unhinged thoughts, and all things romantic suspense.

Victoria joins us to chat about her writing journey, her fan-favorite Bourbon Boys series, and her upcoming release, Rumors & Whiskey, the first book in her brand-new Whiskey Women series. We dive into everything from feral gremlin writing habits and deadline panic to hidden identities, found family, witness protection, true crime podcasts, and the art of writing grumpy-not-cowboy book boyfriends that readers can't stop obsessing over.

Whether you're a longtime Victoria Wilder fan, a lover of romantic suspense, or you're looking for your next romance book obsession, this episode is for you.

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Is you life chaotic? Same. So naturally, we’re talking about the romance books we run back to when the world feels like one giant dumpster fire. In this episode, we’re sharing our ultimate comfort reads that we consider our Roman Empire. The books, series, and fictional men that live rent-free in our heads forever.

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This week on What the Smut Are You Talking About Podcast, we are joined by indie romance author Lasairiona McMaster for an absolutely chaotic, hilarious, and surprisingly emotional conversation about romance books, fake dating, writing feral characters, and why queso should honestly be considered a personality trait.

From MM hockey romance and mafia books to rugby romance, emotional damage, and perimenopause-fueled unhinged thoughts, this episode truly has everything.

Lasairiona spills all the tea about:

• Writing emotionally wrecking romance books
• Fake dating, one night stands, brother’s best friend romance, and found family
• Her Cedar Rapids Raccoons hockey romance series
• Her rugby romance series
• Her upcoming MM hockey romance Splitting the D
• Why tacos, queso, margaritas, and pie deserve their own supporting character credits

If you love:

• Romance books
• Bookish podcasts
• Indie romance authors
• Hockey romance
• Rugby romance
• Fake dating
• Enemies to lovers
• Found family
• Brother’s best friend
• One night stands
• Spicy romance books
• Emotional romance with humor
• Unhinged bookish conversations

…then this episode is absolutely for you.

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Surprise, you’re getting a VPR Takeover bonus episode this week and this one is packed with romance books, chaotic energy, Disney tangents, hockey romance, and alien otter research.

This week we’re hanging out with romance author Jenn Chipman, she writes heroes who fall first, fall hard, and fully spiral over their women, aka exactly what we live for around here.

If you love:

•  Romance books 
•  Romance author interviews 
•  Bookish podcasts 
•  Hockey romance 
•  Workplace romance 
•  Enemies to lovers 
•  Friends with benefits 
•  Heroes who fall first 
•  Interconnected standalone series 
•  Chaos-filled book discussions 
•  Unhinged reader conversations 

…then welcome home, bestie. 

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Welcome back, Book Nerds! This week we’re bringing the chaos straight to Nashville because we’re talking all things Smutmas in the Smokies 2026 — the romance author signing event happening July 17-18 in Nashville, TN… and yes, What the Smut will officially be there as a vendor!

We’re joined by our Booksta bestie Jess from @thebookishclaus, the mastermind behind Smutmas in the Smokies, and y’all… this episode is packed with romance books, author event chaos, unhinged thoughts, and all the bookish shenanigans you expect from us.

We dive into:
 The lineup of romance authors, narrators, and vendors coming to Smutmas
 Sports romance, forced proximity, fake dating, and favorite romance tropes
 Why Hallmark movies are elite comfort viewing
 Parenting feral children while surviving on caffeine and delusion
 Why people driving slow in the left lane should absolutely move over immediately

Jess also shares behind-the-scenes details about building a first-year romance book signing event, supporting indie romance authors, and creating a space where readers can discover new-to-them authors, narrators, and vendors.

If you love:
 Romance books
 Bookish podcasts
 Indie romance authors
 Sports romance
 Forced proximity & one bed tropes
 Bookstagram chaos
 Christmas in July vibes
…then this episode was made for you.

Smutmas in the Smokies Details:

📍 Nashville, TN
📅 VIP Party: July 17, 2026
📅 Signing Day: July 18, 2026
🎟️ VIP tickets are SOLD OUT
🎟️ GA tickets are nearly gone

Featuring:
 55+ romance authors
 Narrators
 Vendors
 Christmas-themed romance book chaos

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Welcome back book besties to What the Smut Are You Talking About Podcast, your weekly dose of romance books, bookish chaos, and completely unhinged conversations about fictional men we absolutely should not trust but definitely do.

Today we sit down with debut indie romance author Laiken Rhodes for her first-ever podcast interview. And yes, we did everything in our power to make it memorable.

Laiken dives into her dark, twisty romance world filled with unreliable characters, secret societies, morally gray chaos, and enough plot twists to make your Kindle smoke. We talk about everything from her chaotic writing process (plotter? feral gremlin? answer: yes) to her obsession with tiny details readers will absolutely miss.

We get into:

•  Writing dark romance with unreliable narrators and morally questionable decisions
•  Building a secret society full of lies, betrayal, and emotional damage 
•  The very questionable things she had to Google for research (yes, FBI watchlists were discussed) 
•  Hidden details in Deceiving Their Minds that only Laiken is currently obsessed with 
•  Cliffhangers, rapid releases, and why Book 2 is going to emotionally ruin you 

Of course, Cort and Mary also bring their usual chaos:

•  Diet Coke vs. water vs. “is coffee still acceptable at noon?” 
•  Unhinged thoughts about laundry, gender double standards, and fictional immortality 
•  Book recs, current reads, and why Kindle chargers are a myth created to torment us all 

If you love:
  romance book podcasts
  indie romance authors
  dark romance, mafia romance vibes, and secret society chaos
  unfiltered bookish conversations
  morally gray men who should be arrested immediately

…then this episode is your new personality.

Grab your snacky snack, your beverage of choice (hydration optional), and come hang out with us as we officially ask the very important question:

What the smut are we talking about this week?

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Surprise, you’re getting a BONUS episode this week!  Because we’re bringing back a fan-favorite author interview that mysteriously disappeared into the void (RIP old hosting platform 😤). But don’t worry, we fixed the audio, dusted it off, and now it’s back and better than ever.

In this re-release episode of What the Smut Are You Talking About, Cortney sits down with romance author Victoria Wilder for a deep dive into her writing journey, the evolution of her career, and all things Bourbon Boys. And let me tell you… this one hits different now knowing where she is today. Growth? We LOVE to see it.

Before we jump into the interview, we’re kicking things off with our usual chaotic catch-up:

•  Diet Coke addictions (yes, still thriving) 
•  Granola in tea… because why not 
• The Off-Campus TV adaptation excitement 
•  Reality TV chaos 
•  What we’re reading (hello accidental marriage + feral MMCs) 
•  What we’re watching + binge-worthy recs 

Then we roll into the main event…

In this episode with Victoria Wilder, we chat about:

•  Her journey from corporate burnout to full-time romance author 
•  How she found (and fell HARD for) the romance book world 
•  Writing romantic suspense, small town romance, and found family vibes 
•  Building the Bourbon Boys series and what makes it so addictive 
•  Indie publishing vs traditional paths 
•  Character creation, tropes she loves 
•  Balancing motherhood, creativity, and finding your identity again 

Plus, we talk spice, storytelling, and why her books stick with you long after you finish them.

If you love:

•  Romance books (spicy, emotional, unhinged… all of it) 
•  Bookish podcasts that feel like a chaotic girls’ night 
•  Behind-the-scenes author chats 
•  Small town romance + romantic suspense 
•  Found family and hate-to-love tension 

…then this episode is 1000% for you.

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This week on What the Smut Are You Talking About, we are bringing the chaos and the spice with a very special guest, romance author C.L. Rose (aka Candice) 

She’s an Amazon Top 100 bestseller, a true crime junkie, and the mastermind behind some of the most addictive spicy sports romance books out there right now. And yes… she might just unlock a new kink or two along the way.

We’re diving deep into her writing process, how she’s pumping out absolute bangers, and the real behind-the-scenes of writing steamy emotional romance novels.

Expect laughs, a little oversharing (okay, a lot), and the kind of unhinged thoughts that make you question everything, including your Google search history.

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This week on What the Smut Are You Talking About, we’re bringing the chaos AND the slow burn with indie romance author Carly Robyn.

We’re talking Formula One romances, golden retriever MMCs, black cat heroines, and why Carly might just be the accidental queen of slow burn. Plus, fake dating, her new hockey romance series, mutual pining, and all the tropey goodness you know we live for.

Carly spills on her writing process (plotter vs feral gremlin energy), the absolutely unhinged things she’s had to Google for “research,” and the tiny Easter eggs she hides in her books that you probably missed. Oh and there’s a LOT of Diet Coke talk… obviously.

We also dive into:

•  Books we’re currently obsessed with 
•  Reality TV chaos & binge-worthy recs
•  Our unhinged thoughts of the week (because therapy is expensive)

If you love spicy romance with heat, humor, and heart or you’re just here for the vibes... This is one episode that you don't want to miss.

Grab your snacky snack, your emotional support beverage, and come hang out while we ask the important question: what the smut are we talking about this week?

Don’t forget to rate, review, and follow so you never miss an episode of chaos!

Want to connect with Carly? 

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Her Books on Amazon

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